Chapter 14 – The Vanishing Shadow
The shadow was gone.
The balcony looked normal again—
a faint night breeze drifting through the air,
the last fragments of darkness slowly dissolving into dawn.
But for Sam… nothing was normal anymore.
He stood exactly where he was, unmoving.
His eyes remained locked on the empty space behind him—the place where, just hours ago, an unknown entity had stood close enough to whisper into his existence.
I couldn't stop him.
The thought repeated itself, again and again, gnawing at his mind.
Enemies were nothing new to Sam.
Gods.
Demons.
Rulers of entire realms.
They had all come.
And they had all fallen.
But this was different.
That presence had entered his home.
Stood behind him.
Watched his family sleep.
And then… left.
No attack.
No direct threat.
Only a whisper.
The most terrifying part?
That presence had bypassed his instincts.
Sam's Unrest
Sam slowly clenched his fist.
"Who are you…" he murmured, his voice cold, restrained.
"…and why did you leave me alive?"
For a split second, a crimson glow flickered in his eyes—sharp, violent.
Then it vanished.
He was still suppressing his power.
Forcing it down.
Choking it.
If I had pushed just a little further…
I might have caught him.
But he hadn't.
And now that decision was tearing him apart from the inside.
What was the point of possessing such power…
if he couldn't even protect his own home?
If he hadn't been there tonight—
Meera…
Ruhi…
The thought alone burned.
Family First
Before dawn could fully break, Sam made his decision.
He walked into the living area.
Meera and Ruhi were still asleep.
Peaceful.
Safe.
Unaware.
Sam looked at them for a long moment.
If that shadow returns…
and I'm not here—
No.
That would never happen.
He turned away and stepped into the castle garden.
The sky was still dark when Sam closed his eyes.
He focused.
Deep.
Precise.
Controlled.
A faint crack echoed through the air.
The seal tattoo around his neck—once dark and absolute—began to glow faintly.
Sam's eyes snapped open.
They were fully red now.
A violent surge of black and crimson energy erupted from his body, ripping through the garden like a storm. The plants withered instantly, collapsing into lifeless ash.
The air screamed.
Moments later… silence.
Sam exhaled slowly.
Thirty percent.
That was all he allowed.
Enough.
He returned inside.
By the time Meera and Ruhi woke up, Sam was already back.
"Papa, you went out so early?" Ruhi asked sleepily.
"Nothing, princess," Sam replied calmly. "Just a morning jog."
He freshened up and came back dressed in something he hadn't worn in years.
A dark ash-grey long coat draped perfectly from his shoulders—
tailored not for elegance, but authority.
Subtle royal patterns shimmered faintly under the light, visible only if one truly looked. It wasn't flashy.
It was intimidating.
Silent domination.
That day, Sam didn't wear clothes.
He wore his past.
Meera paused when she saw him.
"Sam…" she said slowly, narrowing her eyes. "Why are you dressed like royalty? Where are you going?"
"It's just a business trip," Sam replied smoothly. "Something urgent came up. I'll be back in a few days."
"Relax," Meera said, folding her arms. "I didn't even say anything yet. You already explained half your life."
Sam smiled faintly.
Before leaving, he kissed both Meera's and Ruhi's foreheads.
"Behave," he said softly.
"I'll be back."
At the main gate, Sam stopped.
He closed his eyes.
And cast a silent summon.
The air grew heavy.
A translucent armored spirit materialized before him—taller than a human, its hollow eyes glowing with white light.
"Knightwell," Sam said calmly.
The spirit dropped to one knee instantly.
"Command," its metallic voice echoed.
"Until I return," Sam ordered,
"this house… my family… are under your protection."
"Remain invisible," Sam added. "If a major threat appears, contact me immediately through telepathy."
Knightwell didn't hesitate.
"Even my annihilation will not breach this command."
Sam looked back once.
Just once.
Then he turned away.
And left.
The hunt had begun.
The moment Sam stepped beyond the castle gates, his expression changed.
The faint warmth vanished.
The smile disappeared.
His eyes turned cold.
A business trip is just an excuse, he thought.
My real task is hunting that unwanted man.
Who was he?
Who possessed the audacity to stand behind a God Slayer… inside his own home?
First, I need information.
Every individual who even remotely fit the pattern—
every suspicious figure—
every silent observer—
He would extract answers.
And erase them.
Could it be the local king?
No. Impossible.
Sam had already made his warning painfully clear long ago.
Then an ancient wizard circle?
A forgotten order?
A hidden cult?
Too many possibilities.
Sam exhaled slowly.
I need space.
A place where he could use his newly unlocked power—
without restraint.
The Abandoned District
In the heart of a forgotten district, Sam stood alone.
No people.
No movement.
No sound.
Perfect.
He removed his coat and closed his eyes.
"Seal… partial release."
The air detonated.
The ground cracked violently beneath his feet, fissures racing outward like spiderwebs. An invisible chain near his chest snapped—
crack.
Reality itself seemed to shudder.
Sam's eyes turned crimson.
Brighter.
Sharper.
Stable.
"Thirty percent," he muttered.
"Not a fraction more."
Shadow-like silhouettes flickered around him for a brief moment—
then vanished.
He felt them.
I still can't control all of them…
But some of the old spirits—
They were listening again.
Out of the thousands that once served him, only a handful answered now. The weaker ones. The manageable ones.
Enough to form a small unit.
Enough to hunt.
Sam hesitated.
Summoning them meant exposure.
But hesitation was a luxury he could no longer afford.
Decision made.
He bit down on his finger.
Blood flowed.
As it touched his palm, an eternal flame ignited—burning his hand without consuming it.
Sam slammed his palm into the ground.
"Summoning my loyal subordinates."
A star-shaped formation spread across the earth, glowing vividly as emerald energy burst upward. Sam held his palm in place, teeth clenched—
One by one—
Spirits emerged from the ground.
Five in total.
Each one divine.
Each one deadly.
Three appeared as radiant warriors:
One wielded a bow of pure light.
Another carried a shining greatsword.
The third held a divine spear, humming with power.
The remaining two—male warriors clad in spectral armor—each held swords sharp enough to end lives in a blink.
Beautiful.
Lethal.
Sam pulled his hand back and collapsed to one knee, breathing heavily.
"Tch… this is my limit for now."
The five spirits knelt before him.
One of the male spirits spoke, his voice calm yet reverent.
"You have summoned us after many years, Master. Is something wrong?"
Sam lifted his head.
"We are hunting an unwanted man," he said.
"We find him."
"And we erase him."
A faint, dangerous smile curved across his face.
His blond hair drifted with the energy-filled wind. In that moment, Sam looked less like a man—
And more like a fallen angel descending upon the world.
He gazed down at the city.
Every face.
Every movement.
"Whoever you are," Sam whispered,
"I will not remain silent anymore."
Cold fire burned in his eyes.
The hunt had begun.
What are spirits?
Who is the unwanted man bold enough to challenge the God Slayer?
And what catastrophe awaits as Sam walks deeper into his past?
To uncover the truth—follow Crown and Ash.